Early Pottery in South China

Abstract

Potsherds of thick walls with coarse inclusions have been found in several archaeological sites in South China, associated with flaked or ground stone tools and ground organic implements. This paper focuses on the natural and cultural contexts, the chronology, and the characteristics of the early pottery found in South China, as well as the impetus to the origin of pottery and several related issues. It is argued that the earliest potters in South China were affluent foragers, who lived on diversified natural resources and were members of egalitarian societies. The earliest pottery in this region is tentatively dated to approximately 12,000 years ago, characterized by thick, crumbled walls built by hand pinching and without decoration. Although potsherds found in South China may not be the earliest in terms of the absolute dates, they represent the very beginning of pottery manufacturing as a technological invention from the terminal Pleistocene to the early Holocene in southern East Asia. Based on current archaeological data and the results of multi-disciplinary analyses, it is argued that South China seems to have been an area for the origin of pottery, which might have been associated with subsistence strategy changes. Furthermore, there might have been cultural exchanges between the prehistoric potters in South China and those in adjacent areas.

Contextualising the Neolithic Occupation of Southern Vietnam: The Role of Ceramics and Potters at An Son

“…Higham and Thosarat (1998a) believe there is limited evidence to support a continuous transition since the information to support this hypothesis has often been scant and from dubious contexts. Now, archaeological evidence supports immigration with a potential origin in the Yangtze River region (Bellwood 2011;Castillo 2011;Lu 2011;Nakamura 2010;Zhang and Hung 2010;Rispoli 2007;Higham 2002a). This does not rule out any role for indigenous groups, and interaction between immigrants and indigenous people would have been important in generating the subsequent regional diversification of material culture, as observed at Khok Phanom Di and Nong Nor.…”

“…Bellwood 2011;Castillo 2011;Lu 2011;Fuller et al 2010;Nakamura 2010;Zhang and Hung 2010;Zhao 2010;Rispoli 2007; Higham 2002). The movement of rice was likely to have spread in lowlands, coastlines or lower mountain slopes Fuller et al 2011).…”

“…While there is general acceptance for a neolithic transference from southern China to mainland Southeast Asia, with an ultimate origin potentially along the Yangtze River, the timing of these events and the routes via river courses or coastal lowlands continue to be discussed (Bellwood 2011;Castillo 2011;Higham, Guangmao and Qiang 2011;Lu 2011;Fuller et al 2010;Nakamura 2010;Zhang and Hung 2010;Zhao 2010;Rispoli 2007;Higham 2002a). There are increasing interpretations that posit multiple movements over a period of time that suggest selective traits were adopted in a transition to agriculture (Zhang and Hung 2010).…”

“…The generalised cultural package identified above is largely understood to have ultimately originated from southern China, specifically the middle and lower Yangtze Basin (Bellwood 2011;Castillo 2011;Lu 2011;Fuller et al 2010;Nakamura 2010;Zhang and Hung 2010;Zhao 2010;Rispoli 2007;Higham 2002a). Higham (2002a) has suggested agricultural groups spread southwards and downstream along major river routes from Yunnan.…”

An Son Ceramics in the Neolithic Landscape of Mainland Southeast Asia

“…Whilst there is general acceptance for a Neolithic transference from southern China to MSEA, with a potentially ultimate origin in the Yangtze River, its timing, events and routes via river courses or coastal lowlands continue to be discussed (Higham 2002;Rispoli 2007;Fuller et al 2010;Nakamura 2010;Zhang and Hung 2010;Zhao 2010;Bellwood 2011;Castillo 2011;Higham et al 2011;Lu 2011). Increasingly, more interpretations posit multiple movements over a period of time and the adoption of selected traits in the transition to agriculture (Zhang and Hung 2010).…”